Review of "Brothers, We are Not Professionals" by John Piper

This book could not have come at a better time for American evangelicalism. John Piper seems to be at the center of myriads of controversies regarding his unpopular positions on abortion and complementarianism (to name a few biggies). Therefore, it's not much of a surprise that he might have gotten heat for this next book. Piper peers into a not much discussed controversy in his book, "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals." 'Christian Professional Ministry' is quite popular in thousands of evangelical churches in America. Heck, we probably wouldn't even have mega-churches if it wasn't for the beginnings of professional ministry back in the 1980s.

Disclaimer: I define "professional ministry" as those specifically gearing their local churches in forms of business corporations, not parachurch organizations like WorldVision and the like. There is definitely room for businessmen in the church, and I, for one, laud the work being done in Christ's name through those ministries.

I loved this book. Seriously, Piper knows how to lay it out on the table, and I'm sure not just a few pastors who pick up this book might not wince a little to read how quickly he can label their churches. Piper isn't against pastors who get salaries as much as he is those who are hired at churches for their 'talents in business' or their MBAs and not for their servants' hearts. Men like Francis Chan, who live only on 10% of their pastoral salary, are a prime example that living on little CAN be done.
Why do churches feel like they must run their churches like corporations? Unfortunately, when churches rate their success rate by how many visitors they have per week and not by how many mature believers they disciple, people become disilluioned, quite quickly.
As Piper put it, Christians in ministry should act the exact oppposite of those in 'professional' careers, simply because our treasure is not here on earth, where we reap the dividends of visitors or new believers giving hundreds of dollars in the offering plate for the new flat screens in the church lobby, or to help the church get out of debt because of the huge acreage needed to give their new building a lift. Our treasure is in heaven, of the people we invest in with the gospel of Christ, discipling those to become more like Him.
This book. Is. Awesome. Read it--especially those of you working in any kind of church ministry, in big or small roles.
Most sincerely,
Joy M